SHILLONG, Oct 26: With less than a week left for the by-elections, the road so far for UDP candidate contesting the Mawphlang bypoll, Eugeneson L Mawphlang, has been good and challenging although Eugeneson states that he is yet to learn the ways of politics being a newcomer.
“I am yet to know how things are being done in politics. But so far the experience has been good and challenging,” the UDP candidate, who is a former Indian footballer, said here on Tuesday.
“While I was playing football, people came to the stadium to watch for me. But now it is the other way round since I look up to the people to support me in this by-election,” he said.
Talking about targets, the UDP candidate said that his first priority, if elected, will be continuing the work started by his father, SK Sunn, whose demise necessitated the by-election in the constituency.
“My priority is to continue what my father has done. I know it will not be an easy task,” he said.
Independent MLA from Mawphlang, SK Sunn, had passed away on September 10.
Mawphlang, as it is, still lags behind in many parameters, and many villages are deprived of access to proper basic amenities.
“I would try my best if elected to ensure that the people have access to basic amenities like healthcare, proper drinking water, good road connectivity and so on,” Eugeneson said.
To a query about his chances in the election after campaigning across the constituency in the past two weeks, the UDP candidate said that it will be difficult to assess since politics change more often than not.
“I know I cannot be over confident and I will not take this battle lightly until it is finally over. But I am satisfied to see the support and love of the people,” he said.
Asked if sympathy waves will be a deciding factor, Eugeneson said, “My father has done a lot of work in these past three-and-a-half years for the development of the constituency. But for sure the legacy of my father will continue if I am elected”.
When asked if he had made the right decision of joining the UDP, he said that it was the people who wanted him to contest from the UDP. “The UDP is a regional party which is committed to protect the interest and rights of its local indigenous population. I am also a person who is proud of my own roots of being a Khasi and I think I am on the right platform,” Eugeneson said.
Asked to comment on the allegations of corruption against the NPP-led MDA Government, the UDP candidate said that he is not bothered about what is happening in the government.
Talking about the sports scenario, the former footballer said that the sector is growing in the country as well as the region in comparison to a decade ago.
“The youths can now choose sports as their professional career. But in Meghalaya, still a lot needs to be done in terms of development of sports infrastructure. I feel the state government needs to change its policy if it is really serious about seeing our youths perform at both the national and international level,” Eugeneson added.